Vehicles, such as those employing an internal combustion engine and/or having a hybrid drive train that includes an electric machine, often employ what are commonly referred to as alternators.
Vehicle alternators are electric machines that selectively function as a generator or an electric motor. In conventional internal combustion engine drive vehicles, alternators are employed as an electric motor to provide torque to the engine when starting the engine. After the engine has been started, the alternator can function as a generator to generate current to recharge the vehicle battery. In hybrid vehicles, the alternator may be used as an electric motor to additionally provide torque for driving the vehicle.
The electrical circuitry employed with alternators can generate significant heat that must be dissipated. As modern vehicles place greater demands on alternators, the demands on the alternator circuitry also increases. Improvements which address the increased demands on electric machines such as those which are used as vehicle alternators are desirable.